Frankham were appointed to carry out the Inspection for Assessment (IFA) and a Level 1 Structural Assessment of London Victoria Station’s Western Concourse trainshed roof.
- Network Rail
- Victoria, Westminster
The IFA collated visual and measured data using tactile inspections via Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs) and drone surveys, which informed both the condition report to support Network Rail’s maintenance plans, and the Level 1 assessment. The Level 1 Structural Assessment comprised analysing two dimensional (2-D), elastic models of the roof and calculating the utilisation of the members.
Frankham clearly stated the objectives, scope, and methodologies of the assessment to align with and manage the client’s expectations.
The previous assessment was reviewed and used as a reference for comparison of dimensions and other details recorded during the IFA. Logistics for conducting the IFA; the best way to capture all the information required for the expanse of roof and how busy the station is were considered.
Once the IFA was complete, reported and recommendations had been made, the information was harvested to build the models to represent the main structural components of the roof. Information was verified, and any gaps identified were closed by referring to archive information, drone survey recordings, and cloud point data taken by the drone.
Areas of the roof were identified as suitable for ‘touch survey’ from MEWPs.
To provide efficiency and speed of reporting, data from this part of the IFA was conducted using innovative software on tablets on site. This advanced tool facilitated the systematic recording of every identified defect on each truss, precisely noting its location and corresponding structural element.
The utilisation of the form filler software not only streamlined the inspection process, but also significantly reduced the post-inspection workload. The software had a function of automatic report generation at the end of each inspection shift, thus minimising the hours traditionally spent in the office compiling data.
